52 Photos Week 31: Spectacles

Question

Time for the next 52 Photos challenge!

This week's theme:

SPECTACLES

To participate, simply:

1. reply below, and
2. add a photo that fits the theme to this week's free-space gallery.

If you use a social network (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) please share the photo there as well, using #52photos and #wikitree. This can be a great way to involve more family members. If you use a blog, include a link to your blog post in your answer below so we can all read it.

Members who participate every week can earn challenge badges. Click here for more info. If this is your first time participating and you don't have the participation badge, or if you pass a milestone (13 in 13, 26 in 26, 52 in 52) please post here.

For help with how to add photos, see here.

Answer 1

This is a spectacle collection that my father-in-law LeRoi Nelson put together. It hung in his and his father's office, W.R. Nelson. He researched these, and they are in chronological order--starting with the upper left frame from the 18th century. He did not get any of these from antique dealers, as he told me that they were just around the office. This later hung in my husband's office during the forty years he worked as an optometrist.                This is a photo of my husband's maternal grandfather Hugh Hennen. It was taken in 1919 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Comments

Fabulous photo for this week's theme Alexis!  Thanks for sharing it with us.

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Wonderful collection and photo, Alexis. Not everyone can carry off round glasses and a bow tie, but Hugh certainly could. And what better photo for this week's theme than a collection of specs!

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What a collection of glasses how wonderful Alexis

And the photo of your grandfather what a stunning looking man

Again you share some wonderful photos love them

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Thank you Caryl, Laurie and Susan for the sweet comments about Hugh. He was a wonderful man, and I only knew him the last ten years of his life, but he had developed Parkinson’s before I met him and had a really bad shake with his right hand. He learned to write, drive, and do everything with his left hand, and he always smiled and went on like he had no problems.

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Alexis, you nailed it. Perfect picture for spectacle week.

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Thank you Cheryl, marrying into a family of optometrists made this one easy for me.

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Wow that's an incredible collection! Great photo's!

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Thank you Keith.

Answer 2

Aunt Dortha on Vacation in Hawaii

Comments

Peggy Gorgeous photo thank you for for sharing

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Very nice specs. Thank you for sharing.

Answer 3

I always like how he looked in these old spectacles.  He's my 2-gg uncle.

Comments

Randell your g g uncle look formidable with those glasses

Thank You for sharing

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Your 2-gg uncle looks very distinguishable in his glasses.

Great choice for this week.

Answer 4

Maggie Hopkins Webster, a great-great?-aunt, in the early 1900s in London, Ontario.

Comments

Laurie your GG aunt look really beautiful I love her glasses she is wearing thank you for sharing this wonderful photo

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Laurie, I agree with Susan, and we might just wear that dress and jacket if we were lucky enough to have something that lovely today.

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Laurie, very beautiful picture of your GG aunt, and perfect representation for spectacles.

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Thanks everyone.

Answer 5

This is a photo of my maternal great grandmother, great great grandmother and my grand uncle Curtis Benham Pruett as a toddler.  My great great grandma Ellen (second from left) suffered from hypertension back in the day when it couldn't be controlled.  She eventually lost her eyesight before she died.  This is her in her spectacles with her precious grandson.

  

Comments

thank You Caryl for sharing this wonderful photo

Of your great grandmother and great great grandmother and your grand uncle

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This is a lovely photo, Caryl. Thank you for sharing the story of your g-g grandmother.

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I appreciate the detail in the description, brings out the story of the photo so nicely.

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Thank you Caryl for this precious photo of your great grandmothers and your sweet uncle. We are so fortunate to have medications today to prevent many of the things that caused problems for our ancestors.

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I am sorry that your great great grandma Ellen lost her eyesight. 

Lovely pictures of your great grandmother and great great grandmother and your grand uncle.

Thank you for sharing, Caryl.

Answer 6

This is my Dad, Vic Hills in 1939 at his home in Barking Essex.  He had worn spectacles since he was 13.

Comments

Christine what a wonderful photo of your dad, he was a stunning man to look at

I love his glasses thank You for sharing

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What a handsome picture of your dad!

Thank you for sharing, Christine.

Answer 7

Three pair of "spectacles" in one photo. 

I love captions on the back (or bottom) on photos. This helps avoid the sad lost photos of people that are family, but no one remembers exactly how.  

Comments

Jim magnificent photo and all has glasses on

Thank You for sharing

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What a nice photo, Jim. Sister Lucille seems to be enjoying being with her brother. Thank you for sharing it.

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Nice hat trick!

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Jim, very nice picture - certainly appropriate for spectacle week.

Thank you for sharing.

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Thanks to you, Susan, Robin & SJ!

Answer 8

This is the 2nd wife of my 5th Great Uncle, West Hampton Ludlow.  The picture was taken about 1864 in Michigan.  I always thought she looked rather severe in this picture.

T

Comments

Rhonda what a wonderful photo the lady are so wonderful to look at thank You for sharing

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Thank you, Rhonda, for sharing this picture. I can see why you think she looks severe, and yet you can glimpse a bit of a smile and sparkle in her eyes.

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They didn't have ipads back then - you actually had to supervise your kids.  She's probably just tired ;-)

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SJ, you are funny.

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Well, the frame is probably green, she is in gray and surrounded by gray. She has her hair pulled back very tightly, and probably didn't have time to sit for a picture.

That is why she is looking irritated.

But it is a great picture.

Thank you for sharing, Rhonda.

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There is that SJ!  She had plenty to take care of too!  5 from the first marriage and then an additional 8 of her own.  I'm sure she was tired.

Answer 9

This is my wonderful aunt Caroline and uncle Gustav.

I loved visiting them in Varde Denmark they where wonderful people 

Aunt Caroline was my grandfather that emigrated to China sister 

Both using spectacles 

Comments

Thank you, Susan, for sharing this photo of your Aunt and Uncle. It sounds as if you really loved them. It's so nice that you could spend time with them.

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Great color - it is nice to see that it held up.

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Thank You Robin you are sweet yes I really loved them so very much

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Thank You SJ how sweet of you

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Susan it is so nice to see your dear aunt and uncle and the precious little boy with them. I love seeing your photos in Denmark.

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Susan, once again you came through with a wonderful picture of some very special people in your life.

Lovely that you were able to visit them in Denmark.

Thank you for sharing this picture, my friend.

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Thank You Alexis you really are sweet, I certainly love your photos too

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Cheryl you are sweet thank You for being sweet

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how can I not be sweet to someone as sweet as you?

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A lovely picture - and your fond memories improve it further.

Plus the house feels so Danish - makes one look forward to the next visit to Denmark.

Thanks for sharing!

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How sweet Jim of you have you been to Denmark

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Not often enough, but yes...  And my son even has spectacles on - keeping with the theme...

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I can’t open the photo where in Denmark did you visit I live in Copenhagen

Taler du norsk

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The picture was taken in Viborg with the Viborg kommune sign right behind.

Of course we've visited "wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen" too (both before and after the Øresund bridge).

Nei, dessverre snakker jeg ikke norsk.

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Gorgeous photo Jim wow your son look like you thank You for sharing

I went to your profile I was very impressed it is amazing

Answer 10

This photo is of my Great Uncle Paul Millar. He was my grandmother's older brother. I never had the opportunity to meet him as he died before I was born, but my grandmother always spoke highly of him and all her brothers.

I believe this photo was taken in the early 1900s. I think he is very handsome and looks very distinguished in his spectacles.

Comments

Robin thanks for sharing this wonderful photo of your great uncle. He looks very handsome and intelligent wearing his pince-nez spectacles.

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Very handsome young man.  He looks thoughtful and intelligent.

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Robin your great uncle Paul are a great looking man I love his glasses thank You for sharing this wonderful photo

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Robin, he is a very handsome man. What a grand chair he is sitting in. He looks great with his glasses on too!

You never disappoint with your pictures.

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An excellent picture! 

A properly-tied bow tie, a crisp celluloid collar, and pince-nez spectacles without the chain/ribbon to catch them; Sherlock Holmes would have concluded that with no ribbon, he used them mostly for reading. This picture practically announces it is turn of the century (fin de siècle)! 

And your great uncle with his high forehead is quite distinctive. Sherlock Holmes would have concluded that he was studious, thoughtful and intelligent. 

What a wonderful picture! Thanks for sharing. 

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Thank you, Alexis, SJ, Susan, and Cheryl. I agree with you all.

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Thank you, Jim, for your thoughtful comment. Wondering if you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, as I am.

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I am a Sherlock Holmes fan too.  

He wrote a story about a murder in which golden pence-nez spectacles lost by the murderer at the scene played a key role. Not one of his more notable stories, but...

From these lost spectacles he was able to conclude that the murderer was a woman, refined and well dressed, with a large nose and closely spaced eyes.  

I'm sure he would see much in the photo of your great uncle. ;)

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Wow i am a big Sherlock Holmes fan too Robin

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Jim, I remember that one (vaguely). I'm slowly working through all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. I really like the movies, but the stories are even better (in my opinion).

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Another thing in common for us, Susan!

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Yes Robin My sweet friend

Answer 11

My Great Grandmother Ingrid "Inez" Helgren was born in Sweden and migrated to Minnesota.  This photo was taken in MN a few years after she arrived.  Inez (left) and her cousin Gustie (right) have their new spectacles for school studies.

It is quite a different look for her when her hair is down:

Comments

SJ what a wonderful great grandmother you had she is adorable thank You for sharing

I was thinking your live would be different if she had stay in Sweden

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Thank you, SJ, for sharing this photo. Your g-grandmother was a beautiful girl and young woman.

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SJ, I agree. Totally different look, but she is beautiful in both pictures.

Thank you for sharing.

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Wonderful collection of pictures.  

Love the serious-looking pictures taken around the turn of the century when you had to hold still for at least a second.

Your Great Grandmother takes after her parents. I was going to say after her father, but when you study her mother, you can see the ressemblence there too.

Thanks for sharing these.

Answer 12

This is a collage of my mother on the left and my grandmother on the right - both wearing glasses.

Yvonne Stephens and Jean Stephens - Their LNAB.

Do you agree that they look a lot alike?

My mothers photo was taken in 1979 and my grandmothers photo was taken before she died in 2013

Comments

I agree, Robynne, that they look a lot alike. Thank you for sharing these photos.

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Robynne, they look like twins. When you turn gray, you will have to add your picture to see how it compares. (Another 50 years from now).

Thank you for sharing.

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wow they do look alike thank You for sharing this wonderful photo

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Um Cheryl,

I'm already grey!!  LOL  but I am not wearing glasses - yet....

Thanks.

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You are too young to be gray - oh wait, my son was gray at 21.

Answer 13

My grandma's parents, Ernest and Helen Wintermute.

Comments

What a cute couple, K. I love your great grandfather's little mustache.

Thank you for sharing.

Answer 14

This is the my gr, gr, grandmother Betsy Holman nee Abbott wearing her Spectacles. 

Comments

David, thank you for sharing this picture of your gg-grandmother. She is very becoming in your spectacles.

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Love this picture!

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Gorgeous photo David of your gg grandmother she is so wonderful

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Thanks Ladies. She does look quite regal. I like the collar.:)

And she passed away a week shy of 99 years of age.

Answer 15

A lot of people in my family have worn spectacles, including myself. I'm going to start with a relatively recent photo of my cousins in 1968. They do not have pages on wikitree, and are all alive, so they will remain anonymous.

When I was a girl, I was always amused by that particular pair of glasses that my cousin M. wore--2nd from right. They were of the plastic, horn-rimmed variety.

Here's another, older photo, with impressive spectacles:

This is my great-aunt Hattie Forrey, and her husband Arthur Diehl. I never met either of them, just know them from photos. They lived in Idaho.

Comments

Alison, great job on spectacle week. A little bit new, a little bit old.

 I especially like your great-aunt Hattie and her husband's spectacles.  I adore her dress too.

Thank you for sharing.

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thank You for sharing this wonderful photo Alison really a wonderful treasure

Answer 16

52 Photos Week 31 Spectacles

Retha Mae Porter was born in Winfield, Lake County, Indiana, USA. She graduated from Bloom High School, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. She later attended Bethel Bible School in Hammond, Indiana. She graduated from Moody Bible School in Chicago, Illinois, through evening and correspondence courses.

She later married Andrew Van Deraa, and they had eight children. She lived a very happy life with her family and died peacefully at 87 years old.

Comments

wonderful photo she is adorable how wonderful to read she had a wonderful life

Thank You for sharing this wonderful photo

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Cheryl, Retha is certainly a beautiful lady. Thanks for writing about her education and children, as that made her even more lovely.

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Thank you Susan and Alexis. You are always so kind to me. Thank you for being my friend.

Answer 17

I really like the round glasses on my great-great-grandmother, Iberi (Buzzard) Wells.

But of course, her interesting spectacles are overshadowed by her interesting name. Iberi Buzzard! 

Answer 18

My 2nd great aunt Pearl Adelle Stetson. abt 1920

Yolo Co, CA

married Walter McClennan and then 'Babe' Hulbert..

I only saw here in her later years, while visiting my grandparents. Pearl and Babe! wonder why I don't have a picture of Babe. Got to look!

Comments

What a lovely photo! Thank you for sharing it. She looks like a special woman. I'm glad you got to know her.

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Gorgeous photo Janice I love her outfit and hat thank You for sharing

Answer 19

My great uncle Erle Rogers Sutherland about 1968. I never met him. He and my grandfather had a falling out when their mother died. He lived up on Sonoma Mtn. Rd , in Santa Rose, CA pretty much all his life.

Answer 20

These are my mother, Milagros Victoria Gila Hernández and my grandmother, Margarita Hernández Díez.

I don't remember seeing my grandmother without glasses, only in the oldest photos.

I love this photo because it shows the complicity that existed between them. After the birth of my mother, my grandmother could not have any more children, and the relationship between them was always wonderful.